A few of them use their blogs mostly to promote their own books though all of them feature fellow authors now and then. Often they share snippets of their work in progress or of a completed book.
Some writers use their blog to share information about writing, publishing and promotion. Sometimes links to other sites are included. Blogs like these are great for other writers no matter if they're published or still finding their own path to that destination.
Some blogs are composed of a variety pack of author promotion, reviews, and even contests and trivia. I'm terrible at trivia but I always feel victorious when I get even one answer correct.
Other blogs can be a surprise every day with personal tidbits, sharing of opinions and philosophies and any other old thing.
I enjoy all those types of blogs. My blog is a bit eclectic. I sometime promote my own books or someone else'. Usually I have something to say about writing though it's generally only my opinion or taken from my experiences since I don't consider myself an expert in any writing area. Once in a while, I'll do a blog that isn't about writing at all though I generally don't get too personal. And I've vowed to use my blog more to thank and promote friends' books.
I believe if you're going to stick to blogging and post regularly you have to do what works for you. Don't try to copy a blog that is very successful but has features you won't feel comfortable writing about. Be comfortable and blogging will be enjoyable and easier.
So what kind of blogs do you visit? How would you categorize your blog? Do you know Cate? Isn't she lovely?
21 comments:
Thank you so much Susan, for the lovely words and for sharing my cover (it still knocks my socks off, lol).
I'm the same way regarding blogging - I can't copy anyone else's style. And I don't believe in throwing up a post just to have something out there. I do love to help other authors, so hit me up anytime!
Cate is an old friend and I love her to pieces. She's one of the good ones.
Re: blogs
I have a wide range of interests, but I love blogs with anecdotes and real life experiences. Promo (whether it's for the author or someone else) gets old if it's all the time.
The only time I'm interested in book promo is if a friend personally recommends the book or the review is so intriguing I have to check it out.
Mine is publishing and promo tips, and my guests usually stick with that theme. Now and then I do something different, usually with photos. Most of the blogs I visit are writers, but not all.
I tend to visit blogs related to books and reading and writing.
My blog has pretty much the same themes, although I do challenge myself to open up a bit more and share some personal things. I tend to be shy and private in real life so putting myself out there via words is both easier and harder - if that makes sense. :)
I visit a wide variety of blogs.
Mine is a mix of news and movies and stuff. And that trivia you like so much.
HI, Susan,
I love blogs that share themselves.... What I mean is their thoughts, feelings, and experiences. We can all learn from each other.
Sincerity, sweetness, and talent is what I look for in my blogger buddies and I visit them often.
I also ENJOY a quirky personality and a blogger who can make me laugh!
BE yourself and the bloggers will find you....
I visit mostly writing blogs, but a few review blogs are in there too. As for my own, I try to keep the topic close to my writing, but try to keep it fun and interesting.
I like visiting all kinds of blogs, although I'll shy away from ones that are continually negative or depressing.
Mine's usually a mixture of personal observations and (hopefully) humor. I like promoting other authors if I'm tuned in enough to know what's going on. (Sadly, not always the case.)
I like the variety and originality of so many blog writers! The ones that help me get to know a person are my favorite.
I'm enjoying the responses to your question! What drives us, enthralls us, or ensnares us--such variety abounds. I personally enjoy authenticity...but not a daily update on what your kid did this morning. lol Oh my, that sounded dreadful, didn't it? Writing holds me fast, cooking blogs inspire me, and life experiences expand my walls. Whatever did we do before this two dimentional world?
I visit a lot of different blogs myself. It would be boring if I didn't.
Hugs and chocolate,
Shelly
My blog is as diverse as the types of blogs I visit. I try to avoid, both in posting and viewing, blogs with political or religious themes. I like to promote other authors, a lot! I feel like, when I have nothing much to say, why not help another author out?
Good post. :D
I like blogs with quality content, which to me means I learn something. Or I'm amused and entertained. If there's a good discussion going on, so much the better. I like interaction. That means replying to comments.
We are all looking for something, so a variety of types of blogs is good. What someone else likes, I may not. It's subjective.
I like to visit writing blogs that have their own voice. A lot of things you learn about writing in school are wrong when it comes to informal nonfiction (which includes blog posts if they aren't pieces of fiction). You can't write posts in stuffy five-paragraph-format and expect much. I haven't encountered anything that bad really, but the blogs I come back to the most are the ones that reveal the writer's voice even through mundane descriptions of their life or whatever they're blogging about.
My blog is definitely a writing blog. I post three times a week: a literary criticism, writing post, and flash fiction piece.
Cate is becoming one of my fav Authors right now, and she is very gracious a person.
I have an eclectic blog also, no set theme except to meet other authors and some readers and just join in something fun. I stick mainly to writerly stuff though.
.....dhole
I visit lots of different kinds of blogs. Keeps things very interesting!
I like to write about life. Yes, I do write about my writing, but my writing is a big part of my life. Life is where my ideas come from so to my way of thinking if you are sharing the positive parts of your life with your readers they will understand how your mind works when it comes to writing your book.
It's more interesting than reading 'I sat down at my desk and wrote this book this way'.
Yes, Cate is very lovely! :)
I don't think there is a category for my blog. Crazy Weird Nonsense featuring Gnomes and Motorcycles with a splash of Roller Derby and Writing?
Hmm. That doesn't quite cover it. I may need to come up with something better.
i don't know cate, she does sound very lovely---i read all kinds of blogs, i think i enjoy the ones about everyday life more, which is pretty much what mine seems to be about unless i am on a poetry run :)
Blogging is as close as I get to writing spontaneously every week and putting it out there for real people to read...and judge...and comment upon...without the endless revisions and corrections I am so fond of! I learn a lot about "voice" by reading other writers' blogs.
My blog is a personal one. It's just about my day, cooking and life. And while I don't mind blogs that are promo-only types, I generally get bored and don't stick around long.
Usually because they are sterile and lack any real personal touch. Not all, just the ones that bore me.
I like to read about the blogger, the personal stuff, funny stuff and just good old life.
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